The present invention relates to the field of bed sheets. In particular, the present invention provides a novel method of manufacturing a fitted sheet, and novel sheets produced by that method.
Fitted sheets, in general, are sheets which are sewn to fit snuggly on a mattress, with sewn corners corresponding to the corners of a mattress. Usually, the ends of a fitted sheet, between the sewn corners, are provided with a sewn-in elastic. Alternatively, an elastic may be sewn-in around the perimeter of the sheet, connecting all four sewn corners, or a short piece of elastic may be sewn at each corner, extending a short distance in each of the length-wise and width-wise directions. In each case mentioned, however, a two-step process is followed: the corners are sewn to create a box-like arrangement, and then elastic is applied as noted above, to at least a portion of the perimeter. This is a labour-intensive operation, and fairly time consuming.
The object of the present invention is to provide a novel fitted sheet construction and a manufacturing technique for same.
In one broad aspect, the present invention relates to a fitted bed sheet including: (i) a substantially rectangular main body portion of substantially the same dimensions as a selected mattress; (ii) side portions extending from the sides of said main body portion and terminating in longitudinal edges; (iii) end portions extending from the ends of said main body portion and terminating in end edges; and (iv) substantially vertical corner seams joining the side portions to the adjacent end portions, each seam extending from an inner end at a corner of said main body portion to an outer end at the junction of a longitudinal edge and an end edge, said side edges and end edges thereby being joined together to define a perimeter. The bed sheet to which the present invention relates is provided with elastic in at least a portion of said perimeter, to permit said sheet to fit snuggly around a mattress. The fitted bed sheet of the present invention is characterized in that said vertical corner seams are at least partly elasticized.
The fitted bed sheet of the present invention, in an advantageous embodiment, is further characterized in that said end edges are the portion of said perimeter which is elasticized. Furthermore, said vertical seams may be elasticized along their entire length. In one embodiment, said side and end portions are substantially rectangular with lateral edges which are sewn together to form said seams. Moreover, said elasticized vertical seams, in a fully stretched condition, will preferably be longer than the thickness of the said selected mattress. Preferably, said vertical seams are elasticized by means of elastic material sewn into each end of said sheet, a piece of said elastic material being sewn, in a stretched condition, from the inner end of a vertical seam, down the seam, across the adjacent end edge and up the other vertical seam adjacent to that end edge.
In another embodiment, said side portions are trapazoidal, and said end portion is substantially rectangular, but outwardly extended, thereby to form a pocket upon installation of said elastic.
In another broad aspect, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a fitted bed sheet, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a cut piece of material including: (i) a substantially rectangular main body portion of substantially the same dimensions as a selected mattress; (ii) side portions extending from the sides of said main body portion and terminating in longitudinal edges; (iii) end portions extending from the ends of said main body portion and terminating in end edges; said side and end portions being separated from one another by cut out portions defined by the lateral edges of the side and end portions; (b) folding said material on a line bisecting a said cut-out, so that a lateral edge of a said side portion is aligned with a lateral edge of an adjacent end portion; (c) folding said material on a line bisecting the cut-out adjacent the opposite end of the same end portion, so that the lateral edge of the other side portion is aligned with the lateral edge of the end portion; (d) sewing on elastic, in a stretched condition from one set of aligned lateral edges, along the adjacent end edge to the other aligned set of lateral edges, thereby to sew vertical seams between said side and end portions, said vertical seams being at least partially elasticized; (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) at the opposite end of the material, to obtain a fitted sheet.
In a preferred form of this method said vertical seams are elasticized along their entire length.
According to one way of carring out the method of the present invention, said side and end portions are substantially rectangular, and said cut-outs are substantially square.
However, according to another way of carring out the present invention, said side sections are substantially trapazoidal, said end sections are substantially rectangular, and said cut-outs are substantially triangular.